Adjustable wrench



Dec. 15, 1970 KQHLER ETAL 3,546,Q82 I 1 ADJUSTABLE WRENCH .Filed April 26, 1968 3,546,982 ADJUSTABLE WRENCH Samuel H. Kohler and Wierd Voogd, Fort Wayne, Ind.,

assignors to Dresser Industries, Inc, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 724,554 Int. Cl. B25b 13/16 US. Cl. 81172 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An adjustable open-end wrench including a handle with an integrally connected stationary jaw at one end thereof, and a movable jaw slidably connected to the handle for travel toward and away from the stationary jaw. A biasing device in the form of a coil spring reacts between the movable jaw and the handle in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the movable jaw. The coil spring urges the movable jaw into abutting relationship with the handle so that particular wrench settings are easily obtained and maintained, and vibration of the movable jaw relative to the handle is eliminated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an adjustable wrench, and more particularly to an adjustable open-end wrench constructed and arranged for easy, trouble-free operation.

Prior to the present invention numerous adjustable wrenches have been proposed wherein the spacing between a pair of jaws is regulated to fit the exterior dimension of a fastener, such as a hexogonal nut, for example. For the most part these wrench constructions include a movable jaw having a longitudinal extension that slides in an appropriately configured slot within the handle portion of the wrench. Critical machining of the movable jaw and the slot in which the longitudinal extension of the movable jaw slides is required to prevent rattling or vibration of the jaw relative to the handle. Often, when proper tolerances are not adhered to its is ditficult to maintian a particular setting of the wrench. Accordingly, rattling of the wrench parts as well as difiiculty in maintaining particular wrench settings have caused considerable inconvenience when using the heretofore available wrench constructions.

Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an adjustable wrench which is simple and easy to operate and the settings-of which are easily obtained and maintained during use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, an adjustable open-end wrench comprises a handle portion having a sta tionary jaw integrally connected at one end thereof with a longitudinal slot in the handle portion adjacent the stationary jaw. A movable jaw is connected for travel toward and away from the stationary jaw by a longitudinal extension slidably disposed in the slot. A biasing device reacts between the movable jaw and the handle portion in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the movable jaw. The biasing device urges the movable jaw into abutting relaitonship with the handle portion so that particular settings of the wrench are easily obtained and maintained, and vibration of the movable jaw relative to the handle port-ion is eliminated.

The biasing device can take the form of a coil spring, and the spring may be positioned within a blind cavity in the movable jaw. Moreover, the adjustable wrench can include a worm gear journaled to the handle portion adjacent the longitudinal slot. By providing a plurality of rack teeth on the longitudinal extension of the movable jaw, with the teeth in meshing engagement with the worm United States Patent 3,546,982 Patented Dec. 15, 1970 gear, rotation of that gear causes the movable jaw to travel in a direction toward and away from the stationary jaw to thereby adjust the wrench to the desired setting. Thus, particular settings of the wrench are easily obtained .by rotating the worm gear in the desired direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Novel features and advantages of the present invention in addition to those mentioned above will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an adjustable wrench according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the adjustable wrench illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring in more particularity to the drawing, an adjustable open-end wrench 10 comprises a handle portion 12 having a stationary jaw 14 integrally connected at one end of the handle portion. A longitudinal slot 16 in the handle portion is disposed adjacent the stationary jaw 14 and is suitably configured to receive the longitudinal extension 18 of a movable jaw 20. The longitudinal extension 18 slides in the longitudinal slot 16 to adjust the distance between the movable jaw 20 and the stationary jaw 14, as explained more fully below.

A biasing device in the form of a coil spring 22 is disposed between the movable jaw and the handle portion. The spring reacts in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the movable jaw. Advisably, the coil spring 22 is located within a blind passageway 24 machined in the longitudinal extension 18 of the movable jaw 20.

Adjustment of the open-end Wrench 10 is accomplished by positioning a worm gear 26 adjacent the longitudinal slot 16 in the handle portion 12. The worm gear is suitably journaled to the handle portion so that rotation of gear causes its exterior thread 28 to travel in a linear direction parallel to the longitudinal slot in the handle portion. Additionally, the longitudinal extension 18 of the movabe jaw carries a series of rack teeth 30 arranged for meshing engagement with the worm gear 26. As readily understood, rotation of the worm gear propels the movable jaw toward and away from the stationary jaw due to the meshing engagement between the rack teeth 30 and the exterior thread 28.

Utilization of coil spring 22, as well as the particular location of that spring, functions to urge the movable jaw into an abutting relationship with the handle portion. The play between these mating elements, namely the movable jaw and the handle portion, is no longer critical, and rattling or vibration of the movable jaw relative to the handle portion is eliminated due to the slight frictional engagement between these elements. Additionally, particular settings of the adjustable wrench are easily obtained because the frictional engagement is not great. Moreover, the frictional engagement between the movable jaw and the handle portion enables a particular wrench setting to be maintained during use of the wrench at that setting once the initial setting is made. Resetting is not necessary.

The wrench 10 of the present invention operates in an efficient and trouble-free manner. Particular wrench settings are easily obtained and maintained regardless of the play between the movable jaw and the handle portion through the action and location of the coil spring 22.

- one end thereof, a longitudinal slot extending inward of the handle portion adjacent the stationary jaw. said longitudinal slot being defined in section by spaced apart parallel walls communicating with an enlarged spacing at the innermost extent in said handle, a movable jaw connected for travel toward and away from the stationary jaw by a longitudinal extension of generally complementary section as said slot to be close fitting slidably disposed therein, and biasing means reacting between the movable jaw and one of said parallel walls in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the movable jaw, the biasing means urging the movable jaw extension into abutting relationship against the other of said parallel walls where-by particular settings of the wrench are easily obtained and maintained, ad vibration of the movable jaw relative to the handle portion is eliminated.

2. An adjustable open-end wrench as in claim 1 wherein the biasing means is a coil spring.

3. An adjustable open-end wrench as in claim 2 including a blind cavity in the movable jaw forholding the coil spring.

4. An adjustable open-end wrench as in claim 3 including a worm gear journaled to the handle portion adjacent the longitudinal slot, and a plurality of rack teeth on the longitudinal extension in meshing engagement with the worm gear whereby rotation of the worm gear causes the movable jaw to travel in a direction toward and away from the stationary jaw.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS '9/1923 Coughlin 81'1()3 9/1929 Tuewes 81-101X U .5. Cl. 'X.R. 81-213, 427 

